Solar heater.



P.- A. SKIFP.

SOLAR HEATER.

ABPLIUATION FILED MAB. zz, 1912.

1,074,219; Patented Sept. 30, 1913.

FREDERIC A. SKIFF, 0F PAXTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SOLAR HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 30, 1913.

Application led March 22, 1912. Serial No. 685,522.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERIC A. SKIN, citizen of the United States,residing at Paxton, in the county of Vorcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSolar Heaters, of which the following is a speciication.

My invention relates to heaters, and particularly to means forconserving and utilizing 'the heat of the' sun.

The primary object of my' invention is the provision of a solar heaterof a particularly cheap and simple construction adapted to be used'fordomestic purposes, as for instance for.cooking, heating water, `or evenfor heating a room.

A further object is to provide a solar heater using lenses forconcentrating the heat of the sun, the lensesbeing of such form as toconcentrate the rays of the sun in longitudinally extending linesinstead of concentrating the rays at isolated points.

A further object is to provide a solar heater of the character describedand carrying'a bank of lenses having a heat absorber disposed below thelenses and consisting of a sheet of black metal such as iron upon whichthe concentrated heat rays will be received, this sheet of metal actingto uniformly heat the air in the body of the heater. i A further objectis to provide means whereby the angleof the bank of lenses can bechanged to suit the declination of the sun.

My invention 'isillustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a solar heater constructed inaccordance with my invention. 'F ig. 2 is a transverse section on theline 2-2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a Vertical sect-ion on the line 3-3 ofFig. 2.

vReferring to the4 drawings, 2 designates a box or casing preferablymade of sheet metal, such as sheetA iron, the box or casing being formedat one side with anpupwardly extending portion 3 constituting an oven.The box or casing in front of the oven is open at its top, and disposedin this opening is a bank of lenses 5. These lenses as illustrated arerelatively long and relatively narrow and are supported side by side inparallel relation within end frames y6 of any suitable construction.

Supported below the lenses and preferably supported n xed relationthereto by being attached to the lens frames, is a heat absorberconsisting in this instance of a plate of metal designated 7, preferablya plate of black iron. Thisv iron may be coated, if desired, with someheat absorbing material such as lamp black. I do not wish to limitmyself to the particular material for this heat absorbing plate as it isobvious that many different materials might be used for the purpose.This plate as illustrated is supported by means of downwardly extendingrods or bolts 8 which extend from the end frames. The end walls of thecasing 2 extend upward above the plate `7 and up to the line of lenses.The end frames supporting the lenses carry downwardly extending wingsdesignated 9 which fit inside the end walls so as to prevent vanyescapeof the heated air. The frames supporting the lenses are hinged attheir rear ends to the front wall of the upwardly extending portion 3 soas to permit the bank of lenses to be adjusted at any desired angle tosuit the inclination of the suns rays. Thus when the sun'is in thezenith, the lenses are placed in a` horizontal plane and as the sundeclines, the bank of lenses may be shifted. i

The forward edge of the lens frame carries a curved plate designated 10which coacts with and frictionally lits against a curved platedesignated 11 carried by an inwardly extending flange 12 on the frontwall of the casing 2. The interior `of the casing is preferably linedwith asbestos or other non-conducting material .2a so as to prevent anyradiation of the heated air within the casing and causing the heat topass upward into the extension 3 which as before stated forms the oven.AK The extension 3 is provided with a shel designated 13 which may beeither erforate or imperforate as desired, but whic is preferablyperforated. The` outer wall of the oven is formed by a door 14 whichishinged or otherwise attached tothe main wall of the casing so thataccess may be gainedl to the oven. Furthermore,`this door 14 permits the.heated air contained .within the oven to pass out through the openingand be difused throughout a room if it is desired to heat the room.

With the construction as above described, suiticient heat may be gainedto do certain kinds of cooking, thefood to be cooked being subjected tothe action of the heat for a relatively ldng period. The top 15 of theextension 3 may be used for heating water or for cooking, if desired.

In addition to the parts previousl described, I prefer to use a metal reector having a form inyplan the same as that of the casingandsurrounding the lens frame. These metal reiectors 'preferably vhave anangle of 45 and are designated 16 in the drawing. I have illustrated theuse of lenses as a means of concentrating the heat of the sun upon theabsorbing plate beneath.' v

It will be observed that the space between the lenses 5 and theheatingplate 7 is open at top and bottom into the interior of the 'casing2 sothat the air heated by contact with the plate 7 will pass upward betweenthe plate and the lenses and into the extension 3 .and the relativelyunheated air in the i casingQ will also be carried upward and enter thespace between the lenses and the heating plate at the lower end of theheating plate. Thus a continued circulation of the air'within the casingis secured, and as the interior of the casing is lined with asbestos orlike material and very little 4ozt the heat 'escapes from the casing,the ltemperature of the contained airI will be readily raised to arelativel highpoint.

In or er that vessels may be set upon the stove to be heated, Ipreferably form the upper end plate .of the extension 3 with lids 1 likestove lids which may be inserted or removed, these lids of course beinglinedaon their interior with asbestos. I do not wish to limit myself,however, to any specifich construction for this portion of the stove,nor to any .particular form for the lenses, though the elongated lensesillustrated are of partlcular eii'ectiveness.

What I claim is:

1. A solar heater `of the character described, comprising a relativelyfixed box or casing closed at its sides, end and 4bottom but open at thetop, a frame hinged to the casing and forming'a top thereto, glassCarried upon said frame and extending across the top of the casing, anda heating plate supported upon saidv frame in rigid relation to theglass thereof and parallel thereto, said heating plate being disposedwithin the casing and the'finclination of the" heating plate belngadjustable with' fthe' glass supporting framei 2. A solai'- heater ofthe character deo scribed, comprising a' box or casing, a glass'supporting frame hinged tov saidcasing for pending supports extendingfrom the glass supporting frame into the box vor casing, a heating platemounted on said depending supports in rigid relation to the glasssupporting frame but movable therewith, end plates carried by thesupporting frame and extending down into and contacting with the sidewalls of the casing, and a plate attached to the free edge of the frameand extending into and contact-ing with the front wall of said casing.

3. A solar heater of the character described, comprising a metallic boxor casing having an upward extension at one side forming an oven, thetop of the casing in front of said extension being open, lens frameshinged to the front wall of the up-V ed on said depending supports inrigid relation to the lenses.

4. A solar .heater of the character described, cbmprising a metallic boxor casing having an upward extension at its rear side constituting anoven, the top of the casing Ain front oi the extension being open, lensframes mounted in theopent'op of the caslng and lenses supported on thelens frames, saldlens frames being hinged to the front wall of theextension, a curved plate extending transversely and attached to thefree end of the lens frames, a curved plate supported lon the front wallof the casing and coacting with the rst named curved plate, dependingCsupports extending from the'lens frames into the casing, a heating platemounted upon said ldepending supports in fixed relation to the lenses, adoor closing the rear wall of the extension, and a shelf separating themain body of the casing from said extension.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

I FREDERIC A. SKIFF. [1.. a]

Witnesses r i I INEz F. PENNIMAN,

ANNA I. BIGELOW.

